[Promin]

All the above means nothing at this point.

I would like to comment that CPT must be directly related to the field of
study and has to be a part of the curriculum. So it's like another class and either required as a part of your program or you should get a credit for it.

I would suggest to spend 30 min and read this http://www.ice.gov/sevis/regs/8cfr214_2f.htm

Also I would suggest to avoid LVN program and get into RN program directly.

[suzanne4]

Originally Posted by ????

Suzzane, I found this article on line. Hope you or some body can explain to me what this is. I hope it's good news.


"As of the time of this writing, several different attempts have been made to cure the nurse visa blackout.
• The Senate’s 2006 version of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which included a section that exempted Schedule A cases from the employment-based immigrant visa quota until 2017.24

• Sen. Hutchison offered an amendment that would have provided about 61,000 visas for Schedule A occupations under a revived EX visa quota.25

• Sen. Coleman introduced the Rural Nurse Protection Act. Like the Senate’s 2006 CIR, the RNPA takes Schedule A occupations outside the employment-based visa quota until 2017.26

• Rep. Shadegg introduced the Nursing Relief Act of 2007, which seeks to create a new nonimmigrant visa class, the W visa.27 If passed, the W visa provides a TN-like process for nurse visas, with LCA-like wage protections. "

It is now 2008, not one of these items got passed. We have not had Schedule A in more than a year.

This is all old stuff and not current at all.

[suzanne4]

Originally Posted by kyril_10

hi suzanne!

i am sorry if i sent a private message, i am just new here ..

you mention above that we cannot get an employer while studying there?!?..

ma'am that does mean we cannot apply for any company while studying like for example in fastfoods?!

i've got few more questions ma'am after i get an answer to this one..

Exactly, you are not able to work when you are here as a student; there is no way to get a visa to be able to do that. If you qualify for the CPT once you are into your program, or are able to get permission to work on campus for a restricted number of hours, that is one thing but you will have to be able to get permission to do so. Recommend that you speak with your international advisor.

Remember that you needed to provide information to US immigration in order to get the student visa that you had funding for your program and living expenses. Trying to do anything else, and without a legal visa to do so, will get you deported for a minimum of ten years without being able to return for any reason.

[mrmac-cheeso]

Whoa! First off, greetings everyone! First time on Allnurses. I'm a student nurse in New York and I'm onto my senior year this Fall. I'm working on my BSN and had high hopes of specializing in Oncology/HIV AIDS nursing in the graduate level after a few years of work experience. My dream is to finish my PhD and become a nurse educator.

The retrogression now really breaks my heart and now that dream of mine to work and continue to study here is possible but a challenge. I read through a lot of the threads here about the retrogression and I understand what is going on. Reading these threads, I realize that I'm quite different since most nurses who want to work in the US graduated from their own country. And most are from China, India, Philippines, etc. I understand that they would take 5+ years t get the green card.

I need your advice in the situation I'm in right now. Since there is no way that one can get a green card in a short time. What are my options to delay the time to wait for retrogression to be over, and to have an opportunity to remain in the US for work experience.

As a F1 student I don't think that 1 year OPT would help a lot since hospital hires nurses with more years of experiences and even if I select a hospital/employer that would petition I-140 or the green card for me, it will be a long wait. I will be doing my CPT this summer at Columbia and that is an externship. I doubt that they would even consider employing an int' student.

From the information I have stated above, that is only what I know for now and I'm not sure there is still a lot to be learned about immigration and working here in US.
I have a few questions that probably benefit everyone who are in my situation.

1. I'm a senior graduating very soon and since its the retrogression, and I only have one year of OPT, what do you think I should do? Should I look for an employer that petitions' international student to work in their hospital/organization. Even if I would to find an employer that can do this for me, I know that I would have to wait for a looooong time for the green card to come around. What can I do in the 1 year OPT period to secure my work and to continue to gain experience here in the US?

2. I know that there are a certain green card quota/allotment for certain countries. I'm from Malaysia. Would this factor help me in getting a green card earlier if the green card comes available again sometime next year or in the future? Will make any difference? How many years do you think the waiting will be?

3. BSN-RN is under the EB-3 category. Now I was thinking on taking my masters degree instead of going off straight to work with the OPT. Even if I obtain a MSN in Oncology NP, will this make a difference in this situation?

4. I'm graduating in May 2009. This means that I have to be on a look out for companies that employs international students. I will be taking my NCLEX-RN exams in Summer of 09. I'm a bit confused with Visa Screen and other requirements. What are the other document I need to file or exams I have to take before I graduate from college?

Thanks and lloook forward to your replies

[spring2002]

first of all, wow for your ambition. keep following your dream! i am a nursing student from ny, and i am graduating with BSN this May. i am in the same situation, F1 visa. i am not sure if i know enough about the entire process to answer your questions, but here is what i know:
1. a lot of master's programs require at least one year of nursing experience, so look into the school you want to appy to and see if this applies to you. if that is the case, you will have to do the OPT before you can get in the master's program.

2. i called up a lot of hospitals in ny, and they do not sponsor anyone right now. so i called up a nurse agency, and they told me that they can find me a job in phoenix, arizona. so, unless something else comes up, i might have to move to AZ. you said you are in ny, so start looking into hospitals that can sponsor you. my feeling is that you might end up with the same situation. but the good thing is moving to AZ is probably not too bad because the cost of living is 40% cheapter than ny, and the pay is only about 16% less. so...

3. i am from cambodia, and the last time i checked, the country where you come from does not do anything to speed up the process. unless you came from china or some other countries which could actually slow down the process. don't quote me, i am not too sure. but you can look it up on the internet.

4. lastly, don't worry too much right now, just focus on your studies first because you won't be graduating until 2009, and a lot can change in one year, maybe by then, you are lucky enough that the retrogression will end! and good luck on your school!

[Promin]

You should get your OPT, start the employment, get I-140 filed, get a year of experience, go back to school for your masters. If retrogression is not be resolved by the time you get your masters, you will re-file under EB2.

[mrmac-cheeso]

Originally Posted by spring2002

first of all, wow for your ambition. keep following your dream! i am a nursing student from ny, and i am graduating with BSN this May. i am in the same situation, F1 visa. i am not sure if i know enough about the entire process to answer your questions, but here is what i know:
1. a lot of master's programs require at least one year of nursing experience, so look into the school you want to appy to and see if this applies to you. if that is the case, you will have to do the OPT before you can get in the master's program.

2. i called up a lot of hospitals in ny, and they do not sponsor anyone right now. so i called up a nurse agency, and they told me that they can find me a job in phoenix, arizona. so, unless something else comes up, i might have to move to AZ. you said you are in ny, so start looking into hospitals that can sponsor you. my feeling is that you might end up with the same situation. but the good thing is moving to AZ is probably not too bad because the cost of living is 40% cheapter than ny, and the pay is only about 16% less. so...

3. i am from cambodia, and the last time i checked, the country where you come from does not do anything to speed up the process. unless you came from china or some other countries which could actually slow down the process. don't quote me, i am not too sure. but you can look it up on the internet.

4. lastly, don't worry too much right now, just focus on your studies first because you won't be graduating until 2009, and a lot can change in one year, maybe by then, you are lucky enough that the retrogression will end! and good luck on your school!

__________________________________________________ ________

1. About applying to masters Program I think you are right that some schools need at least a year of experience, but the prob is the guarantee admission into the Masters program, what happens if I dont get into the schools I wanted and when my OPT ends in a year of work, I will have to go back. I think its a good time right now to start researching for schools.

2. Which Nursing agencies did you call? Can anyone recommend any nursing recruiting agencies that help new international BSN graduates to relocate somewhere else in the US where hospitals do petition for BSN international students who graduated in the US?

3. What about Canada, does Canada sponsor nurses to work there permanently?

4. Hmmm...I dont think that the retrogression would go on for such a long period of time. When do you think this will end? Possibly in 2009? This will be bad news for the nursing field since the shortage will be a lot worse when the time comes. In your own opinion guys, what can the government do to solve this problem specifically for international nurses? Should the government employ tighter laws, requirements and regulations to select nurses that fit into practice?
Why cant they create like a special visa or something since so many nurses around the world is trying to work in the US? Once everybody hears that US is in shortage of nurses, everybody is trying to get in as a nurse. But this creates a huge problem for students who had studied here for a long time and at the end, that dream of pursuing more in education is wiped away by this retrogression.

Do you think even if the new democratic party is being elected, and Obama or Clinton holds office, will this change anything for us?


There is only so much that an international student can do, that is to become a student but for how long, until our funds dry up? This is own personal thoughts, I welcome any advice or feedback.

[mrmac-cheeso]

Originally Posted by Promin

You should get your OPT, start the employment, get I-140 filed, get a year of experience, go back to school for your masters. If retrogression is not be resolved by the time you get your masters, you will re-file under EB2.

So, you are saying that I should research and hunt for a hospital/organization that could file I-140 for me? Do you think I should also do my OPT in that same company as well? How long would I have to wait for the I-140 to be accepted by the government and how long do you think, specifically in my situation (I'm from Malaysia, and did 1 year of experience of OPT in the US) will help in getting my green card issued. I know that for some people, they're on the waiting list for 5 years and even more. The problem is that my OPT is only up to a year, so I will have to go back to my country if the green card is not filed on time if it ends being a 5-year wait. Do you think that the hospitals are going be o.k with this?

If my I-140 is filed by my company, can I still go into graduate school to work on my masters simultaneously? What are the problems Im going to face if I do this?

After finishing up my masters, and you said getiing a refiled under the EB-3 to EB-2. How ill this make a difference in the I-140 waiting time and selection? Will it be easier, faster, I dont understand?

Thanks everyone for answering my Q's. I'm just a nervous wreck about what is going to happen after I graduate with all this immigration issue. All I want to do is work here and continue my studies and passion.

[mrmac-cheeso]

Originally Posted by spring2002

first of all, wow for your ambition. keep following your dream! i am a nursing student from ny, and i am graduating with BSN this May. i am in the same situation, F1 visa. i am not sure if i know enough about the entire process to answer your questions, but here is what i know:
1. a lot of master's programs require at least one year of nursing experience, so look into the school you want to appy to and see if this applies to you. if that is the case, you will have to do the OPT before you can get in the master's program.

2. i called up a lot of hospitals in ny, and they do not sponsor anyone right now. so i called up a nurse agency, and they told me that they can find me a job in phoenix, arizona. so, unless something else comes up, i might have to move to AZ. you said you are in ny, so start looking into hospitals that can sponsor you. my feeling is that you might end up with the same situation. but the good thing is moving to AZ is probably not too bad because the cost of living is 40% cheapter than ny, and the pay is only about 16% less. so...

3. i am from cambodia, and the last time i checked, the country where you come from does not do anything to speed up the process. unless you came from china or some other countries which could actually slow down the process. don't quote me, i am not too sure. but you can look it up on the internet.

4. lastly, don't worry too much right now, just focus on your studies first because you won't be graduating until 2009, and a lot can change in one year, maybe by then, you are lucky enough that the retrogression will end! and good luck on your school!

Hey Spring2002, which school are you graduating in? nAre you based in the city? What are your plans after graduation?

[Silverdragon102]

At the moment even finding an agency or hospital to petition you there is no way you can stay in the US and work whilst waiting. Retrogression has been ongoing since Oct 2006 with no idea on how long it will last. All I140 does is submit application does not allow work or stay in the US whilst waiting. Things may change after the elections but will be a while and also things may change by the time you graduate and complete OPT

Canada do accept foreign nurses but you will have to go through the process once you have graduated and pass their exam which is only offered in Canada three times a year and would only suggest this if you are planning on living in Canada